MMC 3702 EXAM 2 QUESTIONS &
DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED ALREADY GRADED A+
Sam Phillips - CORRECT ANSWER let Elvis go to RCA and made $40k from it
Signed more artists who became legends, went after white artists to play black music
owner of SUN Records
Carl Perkins - CORRECT ANSWER o First guitar was made from a cigar box, couldn't
afford a real one
o He and his brother played in local bars with a sound like Elvis
o He personified Rockabilly in that era more than anyone else and never changed
• Went to Memphis and auditioned with Sam Phillips at Sun records
o Recorded and toured with Elvis in 1955, stayed good friends
• Perkins became a touring artist in the 1960's and 70's
• Huge rockabilly revival movement in the 1980's - Big revival for Perkins's career
Bo Didley - CORRECT ANSWER "Originator of Rock and Roll"
Recorded for Chess in Chicago.
Known for rectangle guitar and his beat. "Say Man" his only song to chart - 1958 Died in
Archer/Gainesville
Johnny Cash - CORRECT ANSWER • Crossed many genres of music but is most
associated with country
o He's in the Hall of Fame of Rock, Country, and Gospel
o Given name "J.R. Cash" bc, as legend goes, his parents couldn't decide on a real
name
• Early life dominated by gospel music and radio
o Started writing songs and playing guitar around 12 years old
o Met his wife while in the air force, married her a month after being discharged
Rejected by Sam and came back in 1955 as a Rockabilly musician
• Was supposedly told by Sam to "go home and sin until you can give me material than I
can actually sell"
• Invented unique rockabilly formula that included country, folk, and lyrics of prison and
trains
o Best described as a "flawed and contradictory American"
Very devoted Christian but also troubled by drugs, alcohol, and dark songs
• By late 1950's, he was famous enough to leave Sun to go to a major label - Columbia
o Recorded live albums and sang to prison inmates
o Also filmed, backed by Carl Perkins, aired on Granada Television
o Sang "Boy named Sue" which became the biggest hit of his career 1969
, • Got the nickname "the Man in Black" from his dark clothing in the 1970's
• Hosted a music variety show after success of his two live albums
• 1980's - Cash's recording career was at an all-time low bc he struggled with drugs
again
o His saving grace was the Highway Men, became a country super-group & saved Cash
Chuck Berry - CORRECT ANSWER o Often called the father of rock n roll bc he was
the first to epitomize the sound of rock
First big creative artist of rock, rock's first guitar hero
He wrote and performed his own music
One of the most definitive images of rock is berry with his guitar & duck walk
Served 3 years in prison for armed robbery in high school
o His success came from singles, not albums - most rockers then didn't do albums
Great crossover appeal, relaxed and conversational songs
o He was a black man doing songs in a white style, perfect combo of blues and country
• "Johnny B Goode" 1958 supposedly about Elvis, Rolling Stone's #1 guitar song of all
time
o Went back to prison for breaking Mann act and transporting girl across state lines
o Chuck Berry's only #1 single was Dave Bartholomew's "My Ding a Ling" 1972
• Went back to jail for income tax evasion in the 1980's
o Wrote a best-selling autobiography in jail
o Legend has it that he only signs one autograph a day
At Folsom Prison - CORRECT ANSWER • By late 1960's, after some years of limited
success with Columbia, he curbed his drug problem for a little while and made a live
album to turn his career around - best-selling album yet
o Recorded in front of Folsom Prison inmates in California
o A milestone album of rock n roll bc it was so unique
The Highwaymen - CORRECT ANSWER o Johnny Cash's saving grace in the 1980's
was the Highway Men who became a country super-group and saved Cash
o Quite successful in the beginning, but didn't do much after the first album's success
Jerry Lee Lewis - CORRECT ANSWER • Had the nickname "the Killer" since childhood
o Only artist still alive from our class of 1955
o Born 1935 in Louisiana, played piano and sang with his 2 cousins who also got
famous
Enrolled in bible college after high school
• Jerry Lee Lewis is the white man's Little Richard
o Often described as the best raw performer of rock n roll, and the first wild man of rock
o "High school confidential" teenage crime drama movie named after and using this
song
• Remembered more for his scandal than for his music career, which tanked after the
scandal
• 1958 - Jerry married his 3rd wife Myra, who was 14 at the time and was also his first
cousin
DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED ALREADY GRADED A+
Sam Phillips - CORRECT ANSWER let Elvis go to RCA and made $40k from it
Signed more artists who became legends, went after white artists to play black music
owner of SUN Records
Carl Perkins - CORRECT ANSWER o First guitar was made from a cigar box, couldn't
afford a real one
o He and his brother played in local bars with a sound like Elvis
o He personified Rockabilly in that era more than anyone else and never changed
• Went to Memphis and auditioned with Sam Phillips at Sun records
o Recorded and toured with Elvis in 1955, stayed good friends
• Perkins became a touring artist in the 1960's and 70's
• Huge rockabilly revival movement in the 1980's - Big revival for Perkins's career
Bo Didley - CORRECT ANSWER "Originator of Rock and Roll"
Recorded for Chess in Chicago.
Known for rectangle guitar and his beat. "Say Man" his only song to chart - 1958 Died in
Archer/Gainesville
Johnny Cash - CORRECT ANSWER • Crossed many genres of music but is most
associated with country
o He's in the Hall of Fame of Rock, Country, and Gospel
o Given name "J.R. Cash" bc, as legend goes, his parents couldn't decide on a real
name
• Early life dominated by gospel music and radio
o Started writing songs and playing guitar around 12 years old
o Met his wife while in the air force, married her a month after being discharged
Rejected by Sam and came back in 1955 as a Rockabilly musician
• Was supposedly told by Sam to "go home and sin until you can give me material than I
can actually sell"
• Invented unique rockabilly formula that included country, folk, and lyrics of prison and
trains
o Best described as a "flawed and contradictory American"
Very devoted Christian but also troubled by drugs, alcohol, and dark songs
• By late 1950's, he was famous enough to leave Sun to go to a major label - Columbia
o Recorded live albums and sang to prison inmates
o Also filmed, backed by Carl Perkins, aired on Granada Television
o Sang "Boy named Sue" which became the biggest hit of his career 1969
, • Got the nickname "the Man in Black" from his dark clothing in the 1970's
• Hosted a music variety show after success of his two live albums
• 1980's - Cash's recording career was at an all-time low bc he struggled with drugs
again
o His saving grace was the Highway Men, became a country super-group & saved Cash
Chuck Berry - CORRECT ANSWER o Often called the father of rock n roll bc he was
the first to epitomize the sound of rock
First big creative artist of rock, rock's first guitar hero
He wrote and performed his own music
One of the most definitive images of rock is berry with his guitar & duck walk
Served 3 years in prison for armed robbery in high school
o His success came from singles, not albums - most rockers then didn't do albums
Great crossover appeal, relaxed and conversational songs
o He was a black man doing songs in a white style, perfect combo of blues and country
• "Johnny B Goode" 1958 supposedly about Elvis, Rolling Stone's #1 guitar song of all
time
o Went back to prison for breaking Mann act and transporting girl across state lines
o Chuck Berry's only #1 single was Dave Bartholomew's "My Ding a Ling" 1972
• Went back to jail for income tax evasion in the 1980's
o Wrote a best-selling autobiography in jail
o Legend has it that he only signs one autograph a day
At Folsom Prison - CORRECT ANSWER • By late 1960's, after some years of limited
success with Columbia, he curbed his drug problem for a little while and made a live
album to turn his career around - best-selling album yet
o Recorded in front of Folsom Prison inmates in California
o A milestone album of rock n roll bc it was so unique
The Highwaymen - CORRECT ANSWER o Johnny Cash's saving grace in the 1980's
was the Highway Men who became a country super-group and saved Cash
o Quite successful in the beginning, but didn't do much after the first album's success
Jerry Lee Lewis - CORRECT ANSWER • Had the nickname "the Killer" since childhood
o Only artist still alive from our class of 1955
o Born 1935 in Louisiana, played piano and sang with his 2 cousins who also got
famous
Enrolled in bible college after high school
• Jerry Lee Lewis is the white man's Little Richard
o Often described as the best raw performer of rock n roll, and the first wild man of rock
o "High school confidential" teenage crime drama movie named after and using this
song
• Remembered more for his scandal than for his music career, which tanked after the
scandal
• 1958 - Jerry married his 3rd wife Myra, who was 14 at the time and was also his first
cousin
